


Kirkwall Suites

by inuoji, isabel, Viola_Cantas



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Modern AU - College, Modern AU - They all live in the Same Apartment Complex, Multi, There are 2 "Hawkes". Dont worry you'll understand, Transgender Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-08 22:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1958076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inuoji/pseuds/inuoji, https://archiveofourown.org/users/isabel/pseuds/isabel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viola_Cantas/pseuds/Viola_Cantas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when you take the main cast of DA2, put them in the same horrible apartment complex, and decide a bunch of silly things should happen to them because you stayed up until 3AM headcannoning with your best friend? </p><p>You get This Mess. </p><p>Alt. Title the "Suite Life of Hawke and Fenris"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Between classes starting up in my last year of college and moving into a new apartment building, it was pretty inevitable that I would run out of clean clothes and be standing here. Here, in the mildewy, dank communal laundry room in a mildewy, dank apartment complex with a roof that probably should have collapsed 20 years ago, wearing booty shorts and a tank top, hungover and generally a mess, on a mockingly cheery Saturday morning.

Looking at the single most handsome guy I'd ever seen in my entire life.

I've always been a little more of the "same genders" than "other genders" side of bisexuality, but this man is something else. He looks a year-or-so younger than I am, 20 or maybe just barely that, and his hair, while somewhat poorly bleached, suits him very well. The yellowing strands highlighted his dark skin. There are some words tattooed into his body like "Dolor" and "Libertas" but they arent words from any language I speak.

He notices me looking and suddenly the ceiling becomes very interesting.

"I suppose you're the one hogging the only working washing machine, then?" his voice is a bit of a growl, with loathing for something bigger than me dripping off the syllables.

"Yeah, I. Is it really the only one that works?"

"Yes."

"Oh,"

If my hair looked nicer or if I had showered, I probably would thank whatever gods or makers were out there that granted me personal time with this short, angry, beautiful man. But alas, the haphazard bun my thick brown hair is tied into is threatening an explosion and I cannot not remember the last time I had cleaned myself.

The washing machine buzzer goes off and his impatient dark eyes are on me, I look down slightly to meet his eyes and nod in a way so awkward I will never admit to it. I switch my clothes from the only working washer into the only working dryer and slink away before he comments on the -er- articles that I dropped in the process.

Two flights of stairs and a lock later, I lean against my door and sigh. I didn't even ask his name.

"Maybe the landlady will tell me?" I thought, "Aveline would tell me a name for the sake of a date, surely. Or maybe he'll be down there when my clothes are dry?"

It will be a while until then, and I am tired enough that my feet begin to feel too heavy to bother lifting. I'll take a nap. Just a short nap.

My nap left me unsurprisingly and unfortunately groggier than I had been beforehand. Feeling my hair and realizing it was almost oiler than my face, I decided to take a shower. I stepped out a while later clean, refreshed, and with a smile on my face. And then I saw the clock. 3 hours had passed since I put my laundry in to dry. 2 hours had passed since they were done drying.

Scrambling to put on clothes and falling what was Definitely Not 3 Times, I rushed around the apartment to be presentable enough to go downstairs. Having put on appropriate underwear and a sundress that had a certain air of "I didn't just now get dressed, what are you talking about?" I unlocked my door, backtracking only when I remembered the handsome stranger and went to put on the reddest lipstick I own, and ran out the door.

Two flights and a doorknob later I found myself looking at the small, handsome man I had met earlier attempting to throw a punch while he was being gripped around the neck by a very large, handsome man with blonde hair that was half tied into a ponytail and half cascading down to his shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which The Gang gets in a fist fight.

He sat. The old clock on the wall ticked endlessly. He glanced at it again. _Tch_.

The washing machine had finished long ago with Fenris' clothes inside, and so had the dryer, with the clothes of the mystery woman he had seen earlier. 2 hours to be exact. He wasn't a patient man, but compared to his current companion in the laundry room, his patience spanned years.

"Alright, look you goon, just put that chick's clothes on the floor so I can put mine to wash." he groaned, stamping his foot. The blond man had been pacing around the room for less than 20 minutes, cursing under his breath.  Unfortunately, Fenris knew his name all too well: Anders, his piece-of-trash neighbor.

"That defeats the whole purpose of doing laundry, you ass. Besides, you've only been waiting what, 15 minutes? Get over yourself." He grumbled, sinking into one of the shitty plastic chairs that littered the area.

"Look, asswipe, I've gotta get this laundry done before class starts. If you aren't gonna pull her stuff, I will." He jumped to his feet as the taller man moved toward the dryer.

"She said she'd be here."

"She's not here and you're a shitty soccer goalie." Fenris' eyes narrowed.

"It's called fútbol."

He wasn't sure what did it, but Fenris was at least comfortable in the knowledge that he threw the first punch. It connected with Anders' eye with a cry from the blonde's throat. He removed himself quickly though and Fenris fought keep Anders' hands from wrapping around his neck. He wound up for another punch when movement caught the corner of his eye.

It was the girl from earlier, her pretty little eyes meeting his for a moment before moving to his neighbor. Fenris extracted himself from Anders quickly, and Anders immediately began nursing his left eye.

"Damnit, Anders. What the fuck? Should I call Aveline?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, get your clothes, I'll get her. Lord, knows _he_ can't wait any longer." Fenris stalked out of the room without another word.

He stalked down the hall at a brisk pace and almost missed the redheaded women passing the opposite way.

"Aveline, there's been-"

"A fight in the laundry room? What else is new?" in her hand she gripped an ice pack and a small first aid kit. "I assume you were involved?"

"...Perhaps." she rolled her eyes and picked up the pace toward the room where shouts could be heard.

"... What barn did you grow up in that you just throw people's clothes on the floor!?"

"The barn where I have class at 5:00! Besides, why are you defending that thug?"

"Honestly, I don't know how my sister can even stand you. Also, Thug? Really? He just moved here, I don't even know his name!" he heard that woman, yelling indignantly.

He and Aveline entered. Anders was leaning against a broken machine, a hand over his eye with a smug look on his mug. The woman clutched her clothes to her hip in a basket, her soft features pursed in anger.

"Oh.. my god. You are not doing this. This is not happening. I am leaving."

"No, you're not. Take a seat, all of you." Aveline commanded and they complied, without question. To Anders' disapproval, Fenris sat between him and the late woman, still muttering angrily over her laundry.

"What happened?" Aveline asked to no one in particular, tossing the ice pack to the tall blonde, hitting him in the chest.

Before Fenris could open his mouth-

"It was my fault, forgot my laundry in the dryer. Won't let it happen again."

"Very noble of you, Hawke, but that doesn't explain" she gestured to him "finger marks around his throat," she gestured to Anders "or his black eye. Gentlemen?"

"He ATTACKED ME-"

"Shut your mouth you son-"

"I DEMAND COMPENSATION-"

"YOU’RE A BLOODY FOOL-"

"Quiet!" Aveline barked, and the room fell silent. "Anders, Fenris, my office. Now."

Fenris followed her, but chanced a glance behind him toward that girl.

Toward Hawke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viola here, attempting to write Fenris.  
> Maker save us all.  
> EDIT: found a few typos that were bothering me a little too much.


	3. Chapter 3

It was 4 AM when it happened. The sky was grey and birds were chirping to mock those who had stayed up all night and just realized their mistake. I was one of those people, having spent what now would amount to 30 hours attempting to perfect a new boat design. I cursed loudly and to myself as the alarm blared.  
“I get it, the complex is on fire, I get it, FUCK OK YES I AM GOING DOWNSTAIRS.”  
I wrapped myself in a blanket and tried to ignore the circles that somehow always managed to be proud and purple against my dark brown skin. My hair decided to frizz on one side and look perfect on the other, which was absolutely wonderful. It isn’t like I have a reputation to uphold or anything. Why did I hang so many goddamn mirrors in my apartment? Oh, right, because I’m sexy and amazing. Just not right now.  
Right Now tended to mean the various people living here had to evacuate the building while a fire alarm yelled at us in such an irritating way I thought very honestly about just letting myself die in a fire. But, when I opened the door to leave, my across-the-hall neighbor caused a very small spark of joy in me. She looks worse than I do, I look hot by comparison! Yes!  
“Hello, Hawke! Lovely morning isn’t it? I thought I would sleep in a little bit and here I am now!” I teased Hawke with a grin that would and could eat shit.  
“Oh, Isabella, Hi,” God, she was worse off than I thought! Hawke’s pajama pants tripped her more than once as we stumbled drearily down the stairs.  
“Do you know if this is real?” Hawke’s words were chosen carefully and spoken as if speaking any faster would cause her to shatter like dropped glass. I knew if I replied she wouldn’t even hear me in her sleeplessness, so I continued to descend the staircases with her. We were shortly in a small, yet remarkably green, lot in front of Kirkwall Suites joined by Fenris, Anders, Verric, and several other angry and tired people who live here. Aveline was nowhere to be seen, which honestly isn’t that surprising. Probably inside trying to “save” anyone else still inside. Doesn’t even smell smoky, I could’ve been in bed still. God.  
“Um, Isabella,” Hawke tugged on my blanket, “Do you know who he is? The handsome one over there?” She gestured to the finest specimen to ever bless the Earth with his fairytale good looks.  
“That’s Fenris, he’s a latin major at the same university you go to, I believe. Nice ass, huh? I’d love to destroy him.” I couldn’t help it, honestly, he’s just too good-looking. Hawke seemed taken aback by my phrasing. Dear girl.  
“Is he your boyfriend?”  
“Oh, honey, if I could help myself to a piece of that I’d be all over him right now. You think I’d be standing next to your albeit pretty nice ass if right now I could be sticking my tongue so deep into his mouth he forgot his own name? I don’t think so.”  
Hawke laughed at that; I remember a time when she thought my jokes were too much, but I guess my time with her sister, Garnett, warmed little Marian up to me. Her eyes wandered back to Fenris, who was delectably wearing only sweat pants. Disheveled would be a good look for him if it weren’t his only look. Hawke’s black eyes seemed to pine for him in this time of unholy morning and I decided to take matters into my own hands. Grabbing her arm, I strode to where Fenris and Anders were arguing with surprisingly hushed voices while Varric laughed loud enough to give anyone night headaches.  
“Hello, my handsome male friends, this is Hawke. That is her last name, but if you knew her first name that would ruin the romantic air of mystery, wouldn’t it? Hawke, this is Fenris, and Varric. You know Anders, of course, because of your lovely sister.”  
Anders waved a brief hello to Hawke. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Fenris blushed. But I do know better. And he definitely was red from fighting with Anders, who was wearing not only marijuana-print socks with Nike sandles, but also a marijuana-print shirt and marijuana-print boxers. His eyes were red and droopy, I’d be very genuinely surprised if he hadn’t been smoking before the alarm went off. Lousy man didn't even invite me.  
“Wow, Anders, aren’t you twenty-one? Looks like a high schooler and entry-level drug dealer dressed you.” Varric almost fell over laughing, using my waist appreciatively as a ballast.  
“Yeah, man,” the short man chimed in, “You probably sell cooking spices, too. WAIT OH MY GOD DON’T FORGET WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WENT MONTHS SMOKING OREGANO? THAT WAS THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!”  
“Well, Varric,” Anders angrily chimed in, “I would love to forget that time, unfortunately, you never let me! As if you’re any better than I am, you smoke too!”  
“Yeah, blondie, but at least I know when my Mary Jane would be better for garnishing pizza!”  
“All right, all right. I know you’re all having a wonderful time discussing the wonderful times you’ve all had with drugs-drugs that I cannot believe I have to remind you, adults, are illegal- but we need to discuss why this fire alarm went off.” Aveline, as always, oozed Business Casual, even in her bedclothes. How she managed to always look formal, intimidating, and like a mother I would never know.  
“Someone in the building,” she continued, “Was smoking near one of our smoke alarms. I’m going to say that again.” Anders gulped next to me.  
“Someone decided that it would be a great idea to light and put into their mouth, Anders, a stick that would produce a gas, Anders, right next to a device, Anders, that is specially designed to detect that gas and sound an alarm throughout the whole complex at four in the morning. Anders.”  
The blonde seemed to be attempting to shrink into his clothes, as if hiding in the shirt pants and socks that all screamed that it was his fault, would make this any less his fault.  
“I lost my beauty sleep for this!” someone in the crowd called out. Various other people started shouting complaints at Anders as well, until an egg hit his head and Aveline decided it was time for all of us to go back to bed.  
“Man, whoever brought that egg is a genius!” Varric laughed cheerily as he and Fenris walked back to their apartments. Fenris, I noticed, was paying slightly more attention to my lovely Latina neighbor. I caught up with them and joined in with the laughs until the second floor, when Fenris typed his number into Hawke’s phone and returned to his bed. Hawke and I climbed groggily back up the stairs to our third-floor rooms, every inch of Hawke’s skin aglow with blush.  
“Somebody’s in lo-ove!” I sung at her.  
“Am not. He’s just. Cute.”  
“Cute?! That ball of bitter wouldn’t know cute if it bit him in the butt- I know, I’ve tried.”  
“What.”  
“What?”  
“Wait,” Hawke said as she was entering her apartment and I was entering mine. I turned around to face her.  
“Are you, I mean. It’s just that. Fenris is so nice and I think he-” she stammered, then her eyes seemed to widen, “Wait, are you naked under that blanket?”  
I winked lasciviously and closed the door behind me. I flopped into my bed then, ignoring the designs I’d been working on, glad that my neighbor was going to finally catch some tail, but gladdest of all to finally catch some Zs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^)


	4. Chapter 4

In the midst of the early morning I resolutely decided that life, in the words of any dog movie ever made, was ruff. The cutest young woman I had ever seen in my life was bathed in a green sundress, her hair tied into weird little braids, and her beautiful, big, emerald eyes were looking into mine as she asked nervously to take the seat next to mine. I would like to say I was eloquent and invited her to sit next to me, even introduced myself “Yes, hello, I’m Hawke. No, no that’s my last name. My first name is Garnett, you might know my sister Marian.”  
Alas, all that came out of my mouth was a little bit of the coffee I had been drinking and a gesture I hoped she would interpret as positive. Luckily, she only made a twisted little face at my disheveled state and decided, against probably all good reasoning skills she had, to sit next to me.  
“Um, hello.” She spoke with a thick Irish accent. She smiled at me and the world got a little brighter. God, I’m gay.  
“Hi.” I tried my best to smile back, but honestly, after being up all night doing homework only to stumble into my seat and wait for class to start at 6am, the look I gave her was probably terrifying. She just kept on smiling at me, though, what an angel. It was then that I realized I’d been staring at her.  
“Oh, um, sorry you just look familiar,” I said, trying desperately to disguise my ogling, “Have I met you before?”  
“No,” She giggled a little at that, what a beautiful noise. Like bells ringing. “I just transfered into this class from one at 12. I haven’t ever seen you before! My name’s Merrill, what’s yours?”  
“I’m Hawke.”  
“Your parents named you after a bird? That’s delightful!”  
“No, no. Uh, my first name is Garnett. Hawke is my last name, but I'm called that more than anything. Comes from growing up in a big family. Mom could shout ‘Hawke’ is much faster than she could shout all our names and when you’re wrangling that many kids who all get in trouble, speed is key.”  
Merrill was giggling her tinkly bell giggle again at my story and I knew I had to make her mine.  
“So, Merry, maybe we should exchange phone numbers. Since you just transferred into this class and all. So, if you have questions, I can help you out.”  
“That sounds like a wonderful idea!”  
With that, she pulled out an iphone in a wood case with intricate carvings of a tree and I pulled out a 2005 motorola flip phone. We typed our numbers into each other’s phones and then class, unfortunately, began.

G. HAWKE: Oh my god . Marian, Marian answer your goddamn texts holy sdhip  
M. HAWKE: Jesus, Gar. What is it this time? Type properly.  
G. HAWKE: I GOT THE CUTEST GIRL’S NUMBER AND WE’RE GOING TO GET MARRIED  
M. HAWKE: What the fuck  
G. HAWKE: Okay, truthfully, I got the cutest girl’s number and we’re going to get married BUT she doesn’t know it yet. I’m in love Mar. I’m in love. Can I invite her to your apartment to hang out?  
M. HAWKE: lol. When?  
G. HAWKE: Now, we’re here now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess what's updating again


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a glimpse into the apartment we never wanted to see.

Marian enjoyed these mornings. Mornings where she had nothing to do at all. No classes, no homework, no shitty desk job. She lounged in bed under a mountain of blankets, not blessed with the same internal radiator that her sister did. Music played softly on repeat from a tiny iPod dock across the room that had been jerry rigged to stereo system to accommodate any musical device. She held a cheap touchscreen phone with a slideout keyboard at arms’ length above her face. She sighed and burrowed deeper into pillow hell.

_I should text Fenris._

The brunette was conflicted, her passive nature was terrified of somehow ruining her chances of even becoming friends with him by just texting him. They had talked a little in passing at the ungodly early fire alarm a few days back. He seemed nice enough, and interested in her! Which was new and weird! They had only seen each other in passing since. She brought up the screen and stared at it, a simple “Hey” sitting on it, waiting for it to be sent. She glared at the little pixels. Then her phone vibrated in her hand with another text from Garnett.

**G. HAWKE: Now, we’re here now.**

_Now?_

The brunette flailed wildly and found herself on floor beside her bed, her phone skittering away from her in her vain attempt to free herself from the sheets. Lanky legs thrashed violently at the soft cloth and she cursed loudly.

"GODDAMN IT GARNETT!" Marian escaped and grabbed the cleanest pair of pants she could find, a pair of sweatpants in school colors, and she checked herself in the mirror. The brown mop was tousled, but that was a style, right? She shrugged and then ran to the living room, collecting as many dirty dishes as she could in one go before Garnett and her "girlfriend" arrived.

Which was now. The pair walked in and Garnett's expression was caught somewhere between a sheepish "sorry to spring this on you" smile and an excited-puppy-going-to-the-park-for-the-first-time smile. Marian dumped the dishes quietly in the sink and put on a weary smile, trying to not look like she'd just literally stumbled out of bed. Also like she hadn't been up until 3 am marathoning Game of Thrones.

"Hello! Sorry to intrude! I'm Merrill."

"No, no you're alright." her voice came out hoarser than it had any right to be. She cleared her throat. "I'm Hawke. Er- Marian. Garnett's sister. Feel free to make yourself at home."

She looked out over her cluttered living room and regretted her younger sister’s poor timing, today was cleaning day, meaning _nothing_ was clean. But that still meant it was cleaner than Garnett’s dorm, so… she guessed she could forgive the sophomore.

“So, Merrill, you go to Kirkwall U too?”

“Yes! Oh, you do too! Garnett told me you go there too.” Garnett grinned, eyes peeling away from the wildflower of a girl before her. “She also told me she’s a psych major; what are you majoring in?”

“Being a huge nerd.” Garnett butt in. Marian glared pointedly with an exaggerated frown.

“I’m a history major.” Marian said with a sigh, hands diving into her pockets to find her phone. “What, uh” the electronic piece of trash eluded her “What’s your major?”

“Environmental science.”

“Cool. Ah, ‘Scuse me a moment.” Marian pulled a light jog to her room and left the two lovebirds to flirt in her living room. Her phone sat on the floor forlornly where it had fallen in her rush and she unlocked it. The screen showed a text conversation with Fenris; her message had accidentally sent in her panic.

“Hey Garnett?” She heard a muffled sound of confirmation from the living room. “Remind me to maim you later.” She pushed the door shut and began actually dressing herself, pushing out the anxious panic building in her head.

“What’d I do?”

Keys in hand and a vaguely acceptable blouse-jeans combo on, Marian made a beeline for her purse and the door, stopping only to double check her hair in the tiny bathroom mirror. “We’ll see, Garnett. And it was very nice meeting you, Merrill!” She shot her sister a level stare and smiled warmly at Merrill before shutting the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See what we're doing here?  
> Feel free to shoot us comments.  
> -Viola Out


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> if u read the previous chapters before 6/11/2015 and are invested go back and read them again bc i changed things to fix some continuity things

It had been a long time since I had been around a girl, much less a girl that was as cute as Merrill. Well, there was that fling I had with Isabella last year, but she hadn’t been ready for a relationship and now we’re just great friends. Great friends who flirt a lot and talk about growing old together and have had sex a few times? Just your regular gal pals. Of course.  
“Garnett?”  
Her voice plucked me out of my wandering thoughts and firmly plopped me back into the living room of my older sister’s apartment.  
“Yes, yes studying right, Hello!” I not ran so much as quickly flopped back to the door where I had left my backpack and only tripped twice on my way back to couch. It was a miracle that I invited a cute girl to my home to study and actually had excellent notes for the class we shared. I flipped through the multi-colored notes and came to the pages regarding the chapter we would soon have a test on while Merrill brought out her textbook. I immediately, like the giant goof I was, began laughing.  
“What is it? Oh, did I do something weird? That always happens I-”  
“No, no, Merrill I just. Fuck, I just remembered the last time I tried to have a study party with friends and we all ended up taking shots when we got questions wrong on practice tests. It was a miracle none of us got alcohol poisoning. Even more a blessing that Anders knows how to treat basically every kind of sick there is since he’s a med student. Oh my god, Isabella started getting questions wrong on purpose because she liked the taste of the whipped cream vodka that Mar bought oh my god,”  
Merrill had started the conversation looking at me like I was a delightful tiny flower growing inspiringly out of the cracks of the sidewalk. However, after I fell into the hell that was explaining what my friends and I did for fun, she began to stare at me more like someone would stare at a oak tree suddenly having sprouted and grown to full size in their living room. On a two-story apartment building. In a climate absolutely not suitable for oak trees. 

I sputtered to a halt with, “Yeah I guess, maybe we should read? We should read. No alcohol this time. Yeah.” My tenor voice going quieter and lower as I got more embarrassed with each word. It was a wonder this adorable girl had managed to get this far into my life without running away screaming. So, I decided to tell her that.

“Oh, um,” she looked down and got very red very fast. Oh no. Oh no, I’ve made her uncomfortable.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable! I meant to be, like, ‘Hey, I know I’m weird and a lot and if you feel bad around me you can leave and it’s fine!’ I meant to like. God shit fuck damn I’m so sorry. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, Merrill.”

Her face softened a bit at my statement, and she looked very intently at the floor in a way that made it clear she wanted desperately to say something but couldn’t bring herself to find the words.

“No, Garnett, I just. You called me a girl and I, well, I’m not a girl? I like being feminine and being called Merrill and I don’t really, oh, I just don’t care about pronouns but I just. Oh, I just needed to tell you before you got any ideas about me that would mean our friendship wasn’t well. That it was with a me that doesn’t exist. I’m just me! I’m. Well, I’m not really anything gendery at all…”

I couldn’t have opened my mouth wider and her eyes mirrored my jaw. Merrill’s expression quickly turned to one of deep, impenetrable sadness that comes with the realization that some people just aren’t going to understand who you are. That’s when I screamed.

“MERRILL! OH MY GOD, NO WAY! I’m trans too oh my god calm down- no, oh my god, don’t cry- oh my god I’m a trans woman it’s okay oh my god. Jesus H Fuck, I thought you could tell?? I’m so-” at this point, I gestured to all of me, “Well, I mean… Jesus, Merrill, I understand it’s okay I won’t call you a girl. You’re not a girl! I’m so sorry I didn’t ask.” 

She seemed taken aback by my outburst, which I hoped would be a thing she soon got used to. Many of my statements were outbursts. Actually, basically all things about me were both very out and burst-y. That’s when she smiled the widest grin I’ve ever seen on any person, and that’s when I knew- without joking- that I could love her with all my heart. 

“Garnett, that’s wonderful. I’m so glad, I only met the other trans people in Kirkwall U’s GSA and well. Oh, they were lovely people, but they just. A lot of people weren’t very kind about my Jewishness and I just cannot stand that. The ones who were all decent were too interested in sexual things for me and I couldn’t understand their meanings a lot of times. Reading people is difficult for me, I just. Oh I’m so relieved.” 

She laid her hand on my shoulder and began laughing the way one does in the rain. I found that I was laughing too, and hugged her. My crush aside, Merrill was an absolutely wonderful person. In that moment, laughing and relieved in the arms of a new friend, I found that I loved her deeply as if she were family, even though we’d only known each other for a few hours. 

And to the surprise of all involved, we did actually get a lot of quality studying done. With very minimal amounts of alcohol involved. It was dark outside when she left, but not late enough for me to insist she stay the night for her own safety, and she rode her bike back to the university and dorms down the road. I should probably have left, too, but what is a beautiful college gal supposed to do on a Friday night other than make bad decisions with her best friend?

 

Anders’ phone buzzed, blinked, and generally made a great fuss on his bedstand as he muttered to himself on his way to pick it up.  
“Yes, hello?”  
“ANDERS ! I’m here let me in.”  
Click

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shocking return to writing fanfiction after jurys are over , nobody is surprised


End file.
